Not a super season for Brady and Patriots

Monday

Jan 21, 2013 at 6:00 AMJan 21, 2013 at 12:52 PM

As linebacker Terrell Suggs trotted to the locker room after his Baltimore Ravens shocked the New England Patriots, 28-13, at Gillette Stadium in the AFC Championship game Sunday night, he had a message for Pats fans. “Shut 'em out in the second half, tell them to have fun in the Pro Bowl,” Suggs yelled repeatedly.

By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

As linebacker Terrell Suggs trotted to the locker room after his Baltimore Ravens shocked the New England Patriots, 28-13, at Gillette Stadium in the AFC Championship game Sunday night, he had a message for Pats fans.

“Shut 'em out in the second half, tell them to have fun in the Pro Bowl,” Suggs yelled repeatedly.

That's right, the Ravens shut out the NFL's highest scoring team in the second half to overcome a 13-7 deficit and avenge a 23-20 loss to the Pats here in last year's AFC Championship game.

So for the first time, brothers will coach against each other in the Super Bowl, John Harbaugh of the Ravens and Jim Harbaugh of the 49ers. That's not exactly what the Patriots had in mind.

Suggs said beating the Pats made reaching the Super Bowl even sweeter.

“If we went through anybody else, it wouldn't be the same, man,” Suggs admitted. “Yeah, it is a rivalry between us and them, me and 12 (Pats quarterback Tom Brady). But like I said, even then, you can show respect. They get the most.”

The 49ers overcame a 17-0 deficit to defeat Atlanta, 28-14, in the NFC Championship game Sunday. So both visiting teams won Sunday and neither allowed any second-half scoring.

The Patriots had hoped to qualify for their sixth Super Bowl in the last 12 years and their eighth overall. Instead, they lost an AFC Championship game at home for the first time in five tries. So some of the Pats will have to be content with playing in the Pro Bowl next weekend.

The Pats led the league in scoring, averaging 32.8 points in their previous 17 games, but they scored a season-low 13 Sunday, including none in the second half. They clearly missed tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was out with a broken forearm, and Joe Flacco outplayed Brady. Flacco threw for three touchdowns, all in the second half. Brady passed Brett Favre for most career postseason passing yards, but threw for only one score, a 1-yard pass to Wes Welker in the second quarter. Brady also threw a pair of interceptions. The Pats had three turnovers, the Ravens none.

“Disappointed,” Brady said. “We obviously didn't play very well and when you don't play very well against a good team, it's not very competitive. It's unfortunate. We just couldn't make the critical plays when we needed to.”

“It's still surreal,” Suggs said. “Let's not be fooled. That team ain't done and it will probably two these two teams at it again next year.”

Ravens safety James Ihedigbo played for the Pats last year so he knows what an accomplishment it was for Baltimore to contain Brady.

“He's phenomenal quarterback so you have to give him different looks every time,” Ihedigbo said. “I think there was a stretch where we probably called eight different pressures, coverages in one drive. So you got to continue to switch it up because the guy is so smart.”

Ray Lewis, the Ravens' veteran linebacker, announced a few weeks ago that he would retire at season's end. Several fans walking to the game stopped to take photos of a black jersey with Lewis' No. 52 on it that was stuck on a post in the middle of a field along Route 1 in Walpole. A sign on the side on the Route 1 Liquor Mart in Foxboro read: “The Ray Lewis Farewell Tour End Here. Go Patriots.” Another sign at Gillette read: “Ray's last day.” That didn't turn out to be true.

The Ravens, who defeated the Pats, 31-30, on Sept. 23 in Baltimore, knocked out Stevan Ridley, Aqib Talib and Kyle Love Sunday with injuries.

The Patriots had to settle for Stephen Gostkowski's second field goal, this one from 35 yards out to stretch their lead to 13-7 on the final play of the first half. Unable to find an open receiver, Brady did not thrown the ball way to stop the clock with 20 or so seconds left. Instead, he tried to scramble to his left, but was tackled at the 7 after a 3-yard gain. By the time he got up and the Patriots lined up, he was forced to use New England's final timeout with four seconds left to set up the field-goal attempt. The Pats never scored again.

Asked if the Patriots were arrogant, Suggs replied, “They have the right to be, though.”

But not Sunday night.

Contact Bill Doyle at wdoyle@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillDoyle15.